The Savior Comes, 2023 Stay and keep watch. Read Matthew chapter 26. As we read through this chapter, we get a glimpse into some of the final moments of Jesus’s life here on Earth. Jesus spends time with his disciples and then he spends time with his father. Jesus goes to pray about what is coming up. He asks for support from his friends. He asks them to keep watch and pray with him. When we are going through difficult situations, do we reach out to those people around us? Do we seek to find those who will stand with us in prayer and support? When others reach out to…

The Savior Comes, Day 24 When will Christ return? Read Matthew chapter 24. Jesus is there standing in front of them, but now he is talking about the next time that he will return. When will Jesus return? People have been pondering that question ever since the disciples watched him ascend into heaven in Acts chapter 1. In this chapter, Jesus lists several signs that will precede his return. These are often things people are looking for and watching for as the world continues its declined into sin. The bottom line is, we will never know exactly when Jesus is coming back, and that’s OK. We are to continue to…

The Savior Comes, Day 23 What do we want for ourselves? Read Matthew chapter 23. When we think about our goals for ourselves and the types of things that we are trying to attain, what are we seeking? So often, especially for so many people that Jesus talks about in this chapter, the goal was power and esteem and to be thought well of by other people. Jesus explains that if those are the types of things that you are seeking after, you are going to miss them. If you are seeking after authority and esteem and to be thought well of, then you will end up being humbled. If…

The Savior Comes, Day 22 Love God. Read Matthew chapter 22. What is our responsibility to God? As you read this chapter and we continue to see the various people who are questioning Jesus, he makes the statement that we are to love the Lord our God with our heart, soul, and mind. We are to demonstrate our love of him in these areas so that our obedience is active. Obedience must be more than just a thought or an intention. Obedience and love of God must be acted out through every area of our life. Does our entire life reflect our love of Christ?

The Savior Comes, Day 21 What happens when you don’t like Jesus. Read Matthew chapter 21. Jesus enters the town of Jerusalem triumphantly. The people praise him and everyone wants to be around him. He is the height of popularity. However, his message hasn’t changed. He is still sharing the gospel and still sharing that he is the Son of God. Those religious leaders are outraged. But, he’s so popular they don’t know what to do about it. When people disagree with the message of Jesus, how do they respond? Often they get indignant and angry, just like these religious leaders did. And often, they wait to see whether the…

The Savior Comes, Day 20 What do we ask Jesus? Read Matthew chapter 20. I would admit, when I was younger, I struggled with this passage because I didn’t really understand why the mother would do this. Now, I have kids and I understand wanting Jesus to do great and amazing things for and through my kids. However, when we are bringing our requests to Jesus about our children, we must remember that the goal is to glorify God. Our requests are not about trying to glorify ourselves or our children. Our requests must be about glorifying God. Sometimes, our children have to go through struggles in order for God…

The Savior Comes, Day 19 Be child-like. Read Matthew chapter 19. What does it mean to be child-like? Innocent, trusting, faithful, believing. We are to all be like children when we think about our relationship with God. We are to trust him with no reservations. We are to be faithful and believe that he will do all that he has said here would do. Are we child-like in our faith of Christ?

The Savior Comes, Day 18 Sharing our blessings. Read Matthew chapter 18. This story has always been an interesting one to me. The man receives a blessing. His debts are erased and he is forgiven. However, when he has the opportunity to do the same for another person, he doesn’t share that blessing with others. When God blesses us, do we share that blessing? Do we bring others along with us and help them to experience the same blessing of God that we experience? We should not be stingy with the blessing of God in our lives. We are to share with others.

The Savior Comes, Day 17 Listen to Him! Read Matthew chapter 17. God speaks to the disciples and identifies exactly who Jesus and exactly how they should respond to him. They are to listen to Jesus. We may truly understand that Jesus is the Son of God, but does that knowledge translate into action? Do we actually listen to what he says and do what he tells us? If we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God then why do our actions so often not line up with that belief? We are to make our decisions based on his leading and direction in our life. How are we…